Love/Chamberlain (Theatre Works)
Courtney Love (Rebeka Hill) meets Lindy Chamberlain (Dana Miltins) – two women who have suffered loss and are feeling guilty because of it. The deaths that affected them happened 13 and a half years apart, one in August 1980 and the other in April 1994.
A dingo took Chamberlain’s nine-week-old baby daughter Azaria, while Love’s husband, the guitarist and front man for the rock band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, took his own life. He was 27.Both women were wrongly accused of masterminding the respective deaths.
I knew more about Lindy Chamberlain’s story than I did Courtney Love’s. Okay, I understand that each went through a great deal. Still, regardless of the imaginary nature of the piece, Love is painted as a fruit loop … off with the pixies most of the time. As seen here, she consulted and was guided by a questionable medium (Joseph Lai), was keen to explore whether she could get away with philandering and had massive tickets on herself.
Apart from blaming herself for turning away from Azaria and feeding one of her other children, Chamberlain’s biggest concern seems to be about a dog she runs over. Badly injured, Love puts the animal out of its misery, but Chamberlain is intent on tracking down the owner and handing over its collar.
Much of the action is set in and around outback Australia. It is represented by a series of artistically arranged photographs, promotional signage, including that for Mobil Gas … and a yellow pay phone. The set – which also features an old-style red phone – has been designed is Eloise Kent.
I am afraid that having seen Love/Chamberlain, I still struggle to find a plausible connection between Courtney and Lindy. I see it as a fanciful, esoteric and foolhardy exercise, especially because I have no idea if any parts of the representations are even remotely accurate. Apart from the basic facts about Love and Chamberlain, none of it rings true.
Nor was I particularly taken by the performances or the direction. Writer Cathy Hunt and director Bridget Mackey have been working on the play since 2017. At one hour 15 minutes in length what we are fed feels like a stretch. I was looking for something a lot more plausible and grounded. Love/Chamberlain is playing at Theatre Works until 20th October, 2019.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Variations or Exit Music (La Mama) – theatre review
- Caress/Ache (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
- Don Giovanni (Opera Qld) – theatre review
Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.